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reemcook

Heirloom Roses: Please share your experiences & views

reemcook
10 years ago

Hi folks,

Most of the roses in my garden are from Ashdown, EuroDesert (my favorite!) and Roses Unlimited. I purchased roses from the said nurseries after reading rave reviews from rose enthusiasts on gardening forums. My brother, 'paparoseman', also gifted us with beautiful roses and plants. :)

I have never ordered from Heirloom Roses. Please unabashedly share your experiences and views about Heirloom Roses. It will help me (and other novice gardeners) make an informed decision about ordering roses from them.

Thank you

Reem

PS: I also have a few "rescued" roses from local nurseries. Barring a few, most of the mass produced roses are not healthy or hardy. I never thought I would say this (gulp!) about a rose plant - the ones that are not thriving will be euthanised.

This post was edited by reemcook on Sat, Jul 20, 13 at 14:31

Comments (117)

  • Michael McDermott
    7 years ago

    They will I'm sure question is will they make it a year I'm expetting 14 more my last shipment from them didn't like there not honoring warranty wait until untouched see the list I have to jump thru

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    7 years ago

    I have had great experiences with Heirloom Roses. I just got a "Viking Queen" yesterday that looks great. I have ordered from them over 30 years, and they also had great survival in Alaska before I moved here. The plants I'm getting lately with the new owners are a lot larger than the old days, but those teeny plants did surprisingly well too. My last year's order are huge this year and I can't wait for them to bloom!

  • KarenPA_6b
    7 years ago

    I have had good experience with Heirloom. Although I had bought only 10 roses from Heirloom, all of them survive and are doing well for me.

  • Michael McDermott
    7 years ago

    Yes out of 60 roses from them but after 2 died & they make every excuse known not to replace them I'm done with them I give people only 1 chance make me mad & I'm done with u

  • Dingo2001 - Z5 Chicagoland
    7 years ago

    The roses I've received from them have been healthy and done well. I would order more from them, but I hate their pricing/ shipping structure. I would rather they not have "free shipping" built into the price. Because the shipping is so expensive, I only order what I cannot find anywhere else, or if they have a sale.

  • noseometer...(7A, SZ10, Albuquerque)
    7 years ago

    Last year, three of the four roses from Heirloom arrived crushed in shipping. Let me say that Heirloom's customer service was so great and so quick that I was blown away. They even replaced the rose that I told them was NOT damaged, and it arrived within the week, a strong, healthy, bushy plant. I'm hesitant to say how else they bent over backwards and at their own expense beyond the purchase price to make good, since I do want them to stay in business. It was so easy and they were so nice about it. My gallons arrived in good shape this year, well rooted and twice the size of another company's gallons (smaller than DA's bare root own-roots, but I'm not complaining at all).

  • Jasminerose, California, USDA 9b/Sunset 18
    7 years ago

    The customer service representative at Heirloom Roses spent a great deal of time with me on the phone, helping me to pick out roses according to heat tolerance and shade tolerance in the more challenging areas of my garden. I'm happy with the choices and the plants I received were very healthy.

  • BethC in 8a Forney, TX
    7 years ago

    I've gotten multiple roses from them with no issue. I do have to say the two one gallon pots I got weren't really much bigger than the bands I bought. The one time a rose arrived that I thought wasn't acceptable I called then sent them a picture. They quickly concurred that the rose should never have gone out and sent me another the next week.

    They are priced too high I think. If I want to buy only one rose then it isn't too bad but if I want 2 or more I can get them less expensive somewhere else. For the most part I only buy from them when they have a sale.

  • alameda/zone 8/East Texas
    7 years ago

    I concur with Beth and Dingo. The roses have always grown well for me and their service is just fine. I just cant justify the price - I have bought way less from them since the price change and wait for a couple of what I want to go on sale or come available. For instance - roses from David Austin are cheaper and huge, compared to small bands. Why would one not buy from DA rather than Heirloom? The other roses that cant be had elsewhere.....worth waiting for a sale, but they are still expensive. I would buy more, but not at these prices - I compare to Rogue Valley Roses. I hope they do well - so many rose companies have gone out of business, hate to lose any of them. Still heartbroken over losing Vintage......that was the cruelest blow!

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    7 years ago

    erasmus, I agree with you that they shouldn't offer a long warranty when aftercare is not their responsibility. My husband has a great Tilley hat that has a lifetime warranty. I did order him a new one, but would never blame them that it wore out. I just sunburned a "Baby Austin" rose, and my "Jesse Hildreth" is not looking good. I hope to learn from these experiences.


  • erasmus_gw
    7 years ago

    Well, offering a long warranty and then getting into frustrating arguments with customers about what killed the plant seems self-defeating to me for Heirloom. If the customer thinks the warranty means that whatever happens to the plant Heirloom will replace it, they will be mad when it turns out it's a conditional warranty. I think Heirloom is straightforward about the warranty being conditional. Sometimes a safety net like a warranty seems like a good idea but it can invite abuse. A person might order a very tender non hardy rose for a cold climate thinking what the heck, may as well try it, I can always get my money back or a replacement. Not saying anyone in particular did that. But when the gardener takes some responsibility they will research which plants to buy, and will know when it's something they did or didn't do that killed the plant. Could be a vole ate the roots or the weather was bad. But neither of those things are in a nursery's control and are not necessarily in the gardener's control either! To me you win some and lose some in gardening. No harm no foul. I think the guy who had almost 60 plants to succeed was doing well. It would be good to know what actually killed his two plants.

  • Michael McDermott
    7 years ago

    Actually with my next shipment from d.vam roses it'll be interesting 86 I've been growing roses for 40+ years member of north eastern il.rose society still plants died because of what I did was assured thus will not buy any further from them didn't much care for there condescending attitude didn't listen of believe ' anyway I get roses 3x bigger & 1/3 the cost from the society - & besides If I really wanted to I could easily propagate them but I'm simply out of land without enough sun

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    7 years ago

    I have bought a bunch of roses from them. The last one MAC, got froze somewhere along the way in Feb.(it wasnt freezing here tho) and didnt make it so i havent ordered anything else since.

  • springrosemama
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I have ordered 4 bands from Heirloom. 3 out of 4 have done well but one arrived with wilting top growth that quickly died. Didn't help that I repotted it twice, but it's surviving and putting on leaves in spite of being only one inch tall. In hindsight, I should have left it in the band pot for a few days to let it recover. I agree that they may be a bit overpriced. I'm still pleased overall and will still buy roses from them that I can't find anywhere else.

  • Brittie - La Porte, TX 9a
    7 years ago

    All of my heirloom roses have done well (though I'm in a warm zone). I used to buy about ten a year, give or take, but none since the price change.

  • alameda/zone 8/East Texas
    7 years ago

    By accident some years ago, I found something my bands seemed to like. When I get them, I water, put in semi shaded spot and pull the plastic bag the pot comes in up to cover the band on the sides - like putting the band inside a sack. What this did, I found out, was keep the wind off the plant and provide a mini greenhouse effect that the bands loved. Wind is an enemy of young plants which is why many mail order nurseries tell buyers of bare roots to nearly cover the canes with mulch until the plant starts growing. I let the bands adjust for a few weeks like this - poked a hole in the bottom of the plastic bag to let the water drain out. By the time they started growing and got adjusted, they were not stressed and when I repotted them, they took off. I now do all my bands like this and they do great.

    I have loved doing business with Heirloom for years....but when a band is upwards of $30 and Rogue Valley, for instance, is $18.95 [I don't count the shipping] its hard to pay that extra. However.....I have not actually done the math on the shipping so not sure if Heirloom's prices really are a better deal.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    7 years ago

    I wish I had used your method, almeda, on a Baby Austin that I sunburned. It may recover I hope, but I could have spared it.

  • Jasminerose, California, USDA 9b/Sunset 18
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    If you are ordering several roses, then some nurseries give you a break on shipping and it might be better to order from them. But if you are ordering just one rose (which I sometimes just got to have), Heirloom Roses is often the most reasonable.

    I compared how much it would be for me to purchase Cecile Brunner rose at several nurseries: A band size of Cecile Brunner rose at Heirloom is $27.00, including shipping. At Rogue Valley Roses it is $18.95 + $7.75 shipping + $5.00 RVR handling fee =$31.70. Chamblees $10.95+$20.92 shipping=$31.87. At Rose Petal Nursery, Cecile Brunner is $15.00+$42.68 shipping=$57.68.

    A gallon size of Cecile Brunner at Heirloom Roses is $37, including shipping. Roses Unlimited $18.00 + minimum shipping $24.00+$5.00 packaging and handling fee=$47.

    Heirloom Roses is not so expensive. I like to think of all the years of blooms I will receive.

  • springrosemama
    7 years ago

    Excellent point, Jasmine. It's nice when you really only want one.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    7 years ago

    That was my recent conclusion. However, the above comparison isn't exactly apples to apples as Chamblee ships 1 gal containers for $10.95, NOT bands. So even if just ordering one, they are cheaper. Then I guess one has to decide who generally has "the best" plant and what they have available. Heirloom has a LOT of unusual ones. Price isn't the only deciding factor. Still, I like to spread it around. :) I'm a newbie here, so this might be something new at Chamblee for this year.

  • Michael McDermott
    7 years ago

    Ok my last comment FYI just recd. Heritage barefoot front white flower farm 9 canes all size of pencil! Soo nice I ordered 3 more more than u d.a. but soon much better u can believe me I'm telling the truth order 1 & see I'm impressed with size.

  • Jasminerose, California, USDA 9b/Sunset 18
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    My mistake, Vaporvac. Thank you. I should put Chamblees in the gallon comparison then. One of my roses came from them, but I forgot! Redo:

    Gallon size of Cecile Brunner to ship to my area: Heirloom Roses $37, Roses Unlimited $47, Chamblees $31.87. So Chamblees is $5.13 cheaper. If you live closer to them than I do, shipping costs may differ.

    So I will expand on my original point. If there is a rose in stock that you would like, comparison shop and then order it. It's not that expensive when you compare to mail order cut flowers that die in a week. Your rose with roots will please you for years and years. We should support all reputable nurseries, including Heirloom Roses. They are not so expensive.

    Disclaimer: Of course consider the space in your garden and spend within your budget. Enjoy.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Rose Petal Nursery also sells gallon pots for $15 on average, and I haven't seen a better selection of unusual varieties. Shipping is $ 22.50 to the midwest. They also have a 10% military discount for both active and retired.

  • Jasminerose, California, USDA 9b/Sunset 18
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Oh dear, obviously I made a mistake not to double check sizes. Heirloom Roses gallon size is still cheaper for me, because location makes a huge difference. I'm not trying to put down any other nurseries. It just seemed like there was quite a bit of criticism about Heirloom Roses being expensive and they are a good option too. All in all, I've ordered roses from seven different online nurseries, only one of which I would never order from again.

  • SoFL Rose z10
    7 years ago

    Heirloom Roses is good, but not without it's faults. The number one thing about them is that they send healthy plants that do grow well and they have a good amount of variety in terms of their rose list. The bad is that they are expensive, especially for the size that you get. However, if this is the only source for the rose you want, go for it without a bit of hesitation. You will get a good, healthy rose (albeit small) and it will grow into a happy bush if well cared for. The prices of Heirloom has more to do with shipping costs to the nursery and is somewhat out of their control. On the plus side, you can order one rose and not feel like you have to add 3 others to justify the shipping cost. I personally prefer the plants that Chamblees sends out for their prices (which hopefully wont go up soon), but Chamblees has a limited selection. If Heirloom had a rose I wanted, I would snap it up quickly without hesitation if no other sources had it. Chances are it would be cheaper to get it at Heriloom then to order from K&M, or Roses Unlimited where you really have to get 4 roses to justify the shipping cost.

    Also, with so many rose nurseries going out of business, just think of the added cost as a way to keep another great nursery afloat.

    PS i love K&M and RU so its not a knock, its just a point I'm trying to make.


  • stiffman_rosenthal
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Just learned Heirloom Roses has a new owner. I had ordered from Heirloom for years with only one problem - a flood caused some roses to be mistagged. Heirloom quickly sent me replacements. Years ago, I visited the nursery and was overwhelmed by it's beauty. This year, I ordered two bands and am awaiting receipt. I wish a belated but much success to the new owners.

  • Michaela (Zone 5b - Iowa)
    7 years ago

    I was much happier with HR when I could buy 1 rose and it included shipping. I like to spread my spending out throughout the off season and not place a huge order all at once. Now I buy 2 to get free shipping.

    I like HR's large selection and their abundance of DA roses available. As others have said as well, they are very healthy roses. I've only ever lost one, and they replaced it.

    They recently did a band sale that had a forced delivery date which I am not thrilled with as it's way too soon. As long as they don't continue to do that I will shop with them.

  • Elisabeth Main
    2 years ago

    Heirloom Roses sells poor quality plants and reduses to honor their "Risk Free" guarantew.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    2 years ago

    I have only ordered from them once during their sale And was able to get free shipping. I was quite happy with both the size and quality of their plant, but I have not had to ask for a refund. They do have extreme stipulations about what 1 needs to follow in order to receive 1.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    2 years ago

    I love Heirloom Roses. Their plants do great for me. I never have had a problem. The plants take off like a rocket. I've bought quite a few. I visited in the mid 1990s with the former owners when they had the display garden. The plants the new owners sell are a lot larger.

  • BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
    2 years ago

    My plants from Heirloom have all done very well. Some were very small at first, but they grew quickly and caught up in a season or two. I’m very thankful for Heirloom , they have a incredibly huge selection of roses that we would otherwise not have access to.

  • ladybug A 9a Houston area
    2 years ago

    Mine from Heirloom do great. They are not tiny, about the same size as RU.

  • noseometer...(7A, SZ10, Albuquerque)
    2 years ago

    In the past, the ones from Heirloom have been quite large and bushy with a root system that fills the pot, about twice the size of those I got in the past from RU. I didn’t get any roses from Heirloom this year, but the ones I got from RU this year were almost the same size as those I got from Heirloom. When I got a plant last year from Heirloom (free shipping special) that arrived with half the branches dead looking, I sent them a photo just in case it didn’t make it, and they sent me another.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    last year

    I visited in the 90s with the old owners and the display gardens were lovely.

    I have purchased wonderful roses from Heirloom and do know they no longer have display gardens for some many years now. I can understand they can not maintain the grounds to perfection. This would take more staff than they could afford, even if they could find the workers.

    The roses they have sent me have all done well.


  • librarian_gardner_8b_pnw
    last year

    Kitty, as Sheila mentioned they chose to not maintain display gardens but they are continuing to grow and sell high quality own root roses. Many rose growers do not maintain display gardens, it is a business choice.

  • Diane Brakefield
    last year

    I visited Heirloom twice back in the 90s when the original owners ran it, and I well remember their test garden. They were growing the unamed at the time, Jude the Obscure, and I vowed to grow that rose, which I did, starting in 2005. It was too difficult to buy anything there because I was traveling, but it was a lot of fun to see the place. I loved their beautiful, thick catalogs that they sent out free (I think) on request. Diane

  • KJ (9B, San Jose CA)
    last year

    All my roses from heirloom are doing great. I saw Rose unlimited has Elle while it's always out of stock in heirloom. I have never purchased from rose unlimited before. If their rose size is similar to heirloom, I would love to try. Also does anyone know the shipping cost of rose unlimited to California?

  • BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
    last year

    KJ

    It cost me $73 to ship/handle 6 roses from RU to California this spring. Their standard box holds six plants, there wasn’t any shipping discount if you ordered less, if I remember correctly. (But you might want to doublecheck and ask directly in case the policy has changed for 1 plant).


    Is there a reason you don’t want Elle grafted? They had plenty of her at my local nursery this spring, I purchased a big one in a peat pot for $29 and she’s done phenomenally well.


    Erasmus

    I agree, if the actively growing plant arrives healthy, that should be the end of the seller’s responsibility. The only exception should be if it didn’t bloom true to variety. Anything else is beyond the seller’s control. As with anything being sold with the crazy warranties (like DA’s five year warranty) it’s mostly well known marketing hook. It gives the buyer confidence, and most marketers know only a negligible percentage will take advantage of the warranty.

  • oldworldroses z6aSW OH
    last year

    I have had only the best roses from Heirloom. I am willing to pay a bit of a premium to have healthy roses that are well packed and shipped. I have never lost a rose that I bought from Heirloom.

  • KJ (9B, San Jose CA)
    last year

    Oh my goodness, that shipping cost is so expensive!


    Ben, I prefer own root roses because I don't need to worry about rootstock takeover. I have seen many roses in my neighborhood have rootstock suckers and are so ugly. My 9 year old daughter thinks it's funny that one rose plant has two different kinds of blooms, but I think it's unacceptable. So I try to buy only own root unless I couldn't find any availability. For example, I will buy grafted bare root Double Easy Orange, Larger Than Life, Raspberry Cupcake, because I couldn't find those in own root.

  • Diane Brakefield
    last year

    I've never had a rootstock take over--either Huey or multiflora- and I have a lot of roses between 15-19 years old. I still don't understand this big fear. KJ, I love the Double Easy Orange rose. Diane

  • Paul Barden
    last year

    I have had about 5 roses grafted onto Dr. Huey, and all but one (Mister Lincoln is only 3 years old, so there's still time) have eventually sent up Huey shoots, eventually ruining the plant. Those have all been removed now.

    I have about forty roses from Pickering Nurseries that are all 22 years old now, and not one of them has sent up multiflora or laxa shoots from below.

    Yes, its a small amount of data, but I don't believe its meaningless.

  • BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
    last year

    I agree Dr Huey will send up shoots from the rootstock, but I think they are easily identified and removed. Fortuniana sends up even more rootstock shoots than Dr Huey, but I find even Fortuniana easily manageable.

    When I bought my current house, Dr Huey was well on his way to overtaking 7 out of the 8 existing plants. I removed all trace of him from each bush, I think if I continue to be vigilant for a while he won’t be a problem.

  • Diane Brakefield
    last year

    Kitty, my winters aren't all that mild. And until about 2010, this area was all zone 6 (your zone), including my previous home about 25 miles from Boise. I grew roses there, too, and had no rootstocks takeover. In 2016 it got down to at least -10F here. That's zone 6. And a lot of gardeners here think we are still actually zone 6. And I'll bet you we have a first frost before you do. It was predicted for this weekend, but now it looks like about 35F for the lows this weekend. Latitude. We are the same latitude as southern Maine. Diane

  • KJ (9B, San Jose CA)
    last year

    Oh Ben it's very nice to know that Dr Huey is easy to remove. Such a relief! Sometimes I was looking at my beloved Love Song and many other grafted roses, I feel worried that I may eventually lose them after a couple of years. And it takes time for a new rose to establish and I don't think I have that much patience now. Again it's a huge relief for me that it can be controlled and resolved. Thank you 💕

  • Claire Z5 IL
    last year

    I buy from Heirloom Roses occasionally and have always received good healthy plants, but I do have several friends staying away from them because of credit card security issues and customer service issues; Heirloom roses seems to find all kinds of excuses to reject replacement request.

    I prefer own root roses mainly for 2 reasons. First, I am always told that in cold zones, it is better to get own root. The more important reason is that many grafted rose came with a long graft, sometimes 8 inches, and we need to bury the graft point 4-6 in below the surface in zone 5, so the top of the root is already more than a foot below. Then you need to dig another foot for the roots, making planting roses feeling like drilling oil.....

  • BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
    last year
    last modified: last year

    KJ

    I think it’s an easy task, especially with a young rose you planted yourself . In zone 9B, you can plant high above the graft and any Huey that pops out below the bud union will be very obvious, just snap it off completely when you see it.

    Claire those reasons make sense to me for cold weahter locales. If it dies to the ground, the rose will come back true to variety. In my mild winter climate I always plant as high up on the root system as possible because all the best soil is on top (there’s a reason it’s coalled topsoil lol!) , so its not wasted on the graft and can be used by feeder roots. Also, I don’t have to dig so deep into the much harder adobe clay below. I am quite opportunistic and get whatever rootstock comes my way! With good care and a benevolent climate, the great majority of roses thrive regardless of own root or whichever rootstock.

  • summercloud -- NC zone 7b
    last year

    I bought one of my first roses from Heirloom. It was supposed to be Climbing Iceberg but it never climbed; it took me three years of sending them pictures to convince them that they'd sent regular Iceberg instead. They did eventually let me pick a replacement rose and I got Jasmina--who now covers a 20' section of fence. But anyone less determined would have given up! I feel like two years is enough to tell if you have a climber and they were just stalling for that last year. Very annoying.


    I didn't have Dr. Huey take over a rose but I did have it re-emerge a year after shovel pruning one! Plants are pretty amazing.

  • sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
    last year

    Since my last post many yrs ago lol..I have had good luck with their roses. The price has went up but they are good quality. If you can catch a good sale buy a few.


    Fortuniana has been the most aggressive rootstock for me. I have 2 Abe Darbys grafted on Fort. from a local nursery. The Fort keeps sending up runners as well as branches attached to the stem under the graft line. I pulled off a few and rooted them lol. They keep on sending them up in different places..grr.